6 benefits of a socially connected community, and how you can help your community become more connected
Understanding America's loneliness epidemic, part four
Socially connected communities embody the following positive reinforcement cycle:
Social infrastructure provides opportunities to foster social connections. Creating larger and more diverse social networks creates a greater variety of social support and increases access to social capital. Levels of social support, cohesion, capital, and interaction increase sentiments of trust and empathy. And high levels of all of these elements are linked to a host of benefits for the community. The healthier the community and its relationships, the more likely folks are to pour back into it and continue developing strong social infrastructure.
Rinse and repeat. And you get a community that is on an instinctive loop, feeding itself healthy social inputs and reaping constructive outputs of individual and community health.
Note: all information and research mentioned in this post can be found in the Surgeon General’s advisory on the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in America
Understanding social connection terminology
As a refresher, let’s define some of those terms:
Social infrastructure: the programs, policies and physical elements of a community that facilitate bringing people together; we’re talking stuff like sports groups and volunteer organizations, public transportation and housing, and libraries and green spaces.
A social network is just the web of people you know and how you are connected.
Social support is the emotional, informational or tangible resources available to you via your social network.
Social cohesion is the sense of solidarity felt within groups. It’s marked by strong connections and high levels of participation, which generates trust, norms of reciprocity, and a sense of belonging.
Social capital is the big kahuna. This is the umbrella term for any and all resources people have access to through their social networks – social support and cohesion fall under this umbrella. Social capital is HEAVILY influenced by social infrastructure.
Finally, trust is an attitude of benevolence that informs how you interact with strangers, folks and groups you know, and organizations and government. And empathy is noted as one of THE best sources of altruism, which is the practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others.
How communities benefit from social connection
Now. Let’s get to the meat. How does social connection benefit place-based (aka geographic) communities?
Higher levels of diversity, trust, and empathy
Leads to more creative problem solving and better decision making
Generates more social capital for the broader community (aka more resources)
Better health outcomes
One-unit increase in social capital increases likelihood of survival by 17% and self-reporting good health by 29%
Folks with a strong perception of community belonging reported very good or excellent health at a rate 2.6 times higher than those with very low perceptions of belongingness
More connected communities with higher levels of social capital are more likely to engage in health-protective behaviors and are better able to work together to improve health-related behaviors or collectively reform their community culture
Greater resilience to natural hazards
Neighborhoods where people know one another and are connected to community institutions prepare for, respond to, and recover more quickly from natural hazards
Greater level of knowledge-sharing and coordinated emergency response efforts
Lower levels of community violence
The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods longitudinal study that began in the late 1990s found that neighborhoods with higher perceptions of social cohesion and where residents felt a “willingness to act” on behalf of community members (collective efficacy) were more likely to have reduced levels of crime and residents were more likely to feel safer.
Connected community = higher levels of economic prosperity
During the 2008 recession, communities with higher social capital levels experienced greater resilience against unemployment
SOCIOECONOMIC MOBILITY: More likely to recommend job and educational opportunities to one another, collaborate on ideas for innovation, build partnerships for local businesses, and directly advance economic progress in their communities
There are socioeconomic and mobility consequences to community disconnection. Long-standing systemic disinvestment, inequitable zoning laws, underdeveloped transportation systems, and residential segregation can perpetuate chronic poverty and isolate entire neighborhoods or towns from more prosperous local economies.
Increased levels of civic engagement and more representative government
What is civic engagement? Registering to vote, voting, participating in advocacy groups or clubs, connecting to information and current events
Civic engagement helps develop empathy, problem solving and cooperation among community members
One study showed that higher levels of family and community connection during adolescence predicted civic engagement outcomes in young adulthood, including a greater likelihood of voting and involvement in social action and conversation groups.
This leads to policies and programs that better reflect the will and desire of a community’s residents
What you can do for your community
This is not a simple issue. There are a lot of influencing factors, and there is no one solution to cure our disconnection epidemic.
However, I am a firm believer that big solutions start with the small actions. So here’s a few ideas on ways you can feed into that positive reinforcement cycle:
Research has proven that small social interactions, such as smiling at a passerby or chatting briefly with someone at the grocery store, help foster a sense of interpersonal trust and create and maintain positive norms of reciprocity.
We also know that diversifying our social networks has a strong impact on developing social capital. This means diversity of power status, age, politics, race, gender, and sexual identity. Challenge yourself to make one intergenerational friendship.
Find one way to get involved in a community-based activity.
Join a recreational league or volunteer group. Look for an advocacy program for civic engagement or human rights campaigning. People who immerse themselves in community-based activities are more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging and have trusting relationships with fellow community members. When this participation becomes the norm, a domino effect ensues: social networks and levels of trust grow, leading to greater exchange of information and sharing of resources.
Put yourself out on a limb and strike up a conversation with a person in public – shopping in the aisle next to you at Marshall’s or lifting near you at the gym.
I promise you, IT IS NOT WEIRD TO TALK TO PEOPLE IN PUBLIC. We have, culturally, developed such an aversion to talking with people in shared spaces. I cannot emphasize enough how much of a normal human behavior this is. And if you talk to someone, and they have a weird response, that is NOT A YOU ISSUE. Feel pride that you stepped out of your own world and feel hope that you planted a seed in their mind, challenging their worldview that people are not to be trusted and it’s weird to interact with people in shared spaces. Mustard seeds people, mustard seeds!
Be willing to help someone along their way.
Do you have years of career experience or connections in a particular field? Take the time to offer a conversation of career mentorship or put them in touch with others you know. Do you have a skill for fixing cars or repairing a bookshelf? Do it for your neighbor – for free! Are you a passionate gardener who could teach your neighbor how to start their own garden? Knowledge is power. Share it.
All of these community interactions feed into that positive reinforcement cycle we discussed earlier.
The strength of our communities starts with the strength of our social networks and collective levels of trust. Be the first domino in building norms of reciprocity around kindness, advocacy, and civil communication. This is the first step in creating strong networks, building social capital, and eventually influencing the development of social infrastructure designed with human connection in mind.